You’ll find that many sweater patterns are knit in pieces from the bottom up. Most of these patterns instruct you to start knitting the body first and then move onto the sleeves.

Recently when I cast on for the Playful Stripes Sweater, it wasn’t until I was nearly done with the body that I wished I had started knitting the sleeves first. I was straying from the pattern and trying a different cast on method. It would have been easier to test the cast on with only 38 sleeve stitches compared to the 144 body stitches.

There are a few reasons you might want to start with a smaller number of stitches on a sleeve before knitting the body.

• Trying out a new stitch pattern or technique
• Testing color combinations in your multi-color project
• Straying from the instructions in the pattern and not sure you’ll like the changes
• Hate swatching so a sleeve essentially becomes your swatch so you know if you’re using the right needle size.

If I was going to start my sweater over, I probably would have done something a little differently on the cuffs and hem. It wasn’t until I was too far into the body that I realized I wanted something different. But I felt I was too far along to make it worth ripping out and starting over. But if I had started with a sleeve first…I wouldn’t have hesitated to start over and get the cuff/hem I really wanted. Live and learn.

Are you a strict pattern follower? Or do like to use a pattern as your guide and change things up a bit?

It’s the last week of National Crochet Month, and we’ve celebrated by sharing crochet tips and projects all month. This week, we have a handy trick to start your crocheted border, or join in the round, without having to use a starting chain.

When the first stitch of a new round or a border is a taller stitch, like a double crochet, usually you need to chain two or more before you can begin. This allows the first stitch to reach the height of the other stitches.

The pattern would say something like, “Chain two (this will count as your first double crochet).” The chains look different from the other double crochets and can end up standing out on your project, especially if used on a delicate border.

You can eliminate the need to use the chains with this technique.

1. Tie a slip knot on your hook, then yarn over.

2. Insert the hook into your project, yarn over, and pull through.

3. Now you’ll create your double crochet normally. Yarn over and pull through two strands, then yarn over and pull through the last two strands.

It’s a simple little trick that ends up making your project look neater in the end.

 

Do you have any favorite crochet tips we didn’t touch on this month?

 

 

 

Not all knitters crochet, and not all crocheters knit, but both compliment each other beautifully in projects. Adding a crochet border to your knitting is a fantastic way to incorporate both mediums. I find crochet borders much easier to work than picking up and knitting around a project. Around the Corner Crochet Borders is filled with great ideas on embellishing your project with a beautiful border.

To pick up stitches to crochet on a garter stitch project:

1. Insert your hook in the space between the ridges.

2. Yarn over and pull your stitch through, making sure your hook is only going under two strands of yarn.

3. Your stitches will sit in between the garter ridges. On the next round, the gap will be hidden by the stitch above.

To pick up stitches to crochet around a stockinette stitch project:

1. Locate the edging stitches. They’re going to look like v’s going up along the side of your project.

2. Insert your hook into this edge stitch only. Make sure you are only going under two strands of yarn.

 

Do you like to mix things up by incorporating both knitting and crochet into your project?

 

We’re celebrating National Crochet Month with some handy crochet tips! This week’s tip shows us the proper way to weave in your ends.

Weaving in ends is one of the most tedious aspects of knitting and crocheting for me. I have heard of some people who enjoy it, but I’m definitely not one of them. It’s time consuming, especially if you have a beautiful colorwork project. Most advice says to weave in your ends as you go along. That plan always sounds so appealing in the beginning, but never seems to work out!

After all that work you put into your project, weaving in your ends properly is essential. You don’t want them to slip out and poke through. Everyone has their own opinion on the best way to weave in ends. This way seems to please almost everyone.

Step 1. Thread your tapestry hook and insert it vertically down into the stitch closest to the base of the yarn. I like to go down about 1/2″, but adjust this based on the project itself. If it’s very open work, I may only go down a couple stitches at a time.

Step 2. Insert your needle horizontally into the stitches next to it. Again, I like to do about 1/2″, but less if that helps keep the end hidden.

Step 3. Now insert your needle vertically again, this time going up. This weaving in and out will keep your thread secure. If you can only go a couple stitches vertically at a time, try repeating these steps another one or two times to make sure it’s really secure.

Now this is where opinions differ. Some of us like to leave a long tail when you’re done weaving in the ends, then block the project. Once it’s done blocking, then you can cut the tail. The logic is that the tail may wiggle out a bit when the project is blocking. Personally I just snip the tail when I’m done weaving, but the other way seems much more thorough!

 

Do you have a technique for weaving in your ends? Do you enjoy weaving in all those ends or find it a tedious chore?

It’s National Crochet Month! We’re celebrating by sharing some handy crochet tips to help refine your crochet skills or get you started. This week, we’re putting a new spin on your foundation chain.

Starting your crochet project is probably almost everyone’s least favorite part. Chaining all those stitches, then fiddling your hook into that starting chain can be tedious and time consuming. For me, it never ends up looking quite right either.

Most of us were taught to start your first row by crocheting into the front of your starting chain. Instead, try inserting your hook into the bump on the back of your chain. Surprisingly, this actually creates a much neater and smoother edge.

This technique also creates a much more elastic edge and will even mirror your final row perfectly. Since crocheting into that back bump creates a mirror stitch to your last row, it makes seaming and adding a crocheting edging much easier!

Sometimes when you start using brand new circular needles, the cords can be a little unruly. They can get very curly and twisted from being in the packaging, which makes it hard to keep your project flat and can be frustrating to work with.

All you need to remedy this is some warm water. You want the water to be hot, but not boiling. I use my teakettle on the stove and wait until I see some steam, but warming up even just a mug of water in the microwave would work too. Dip the cords into the water for a few seconds, then stretch out the needles and give a gentle tug.  The warm water will relax the plastic enough to release the curl. Only do a few seconds at a time! You don’t want to accidentally melt your cords.

Does the word ‘neon’ give you flashbacks to 1980s bad fashion montages, complete with teased hair and shoulderpads? Neon might not be a new color concept but it’s back in a big way, showing up in magazines, shopping malls and even on our shelves! I’ll give you a few ideas of what to knit or crochet with and how to wear these bright colors.

Louisa Harding Mila takes neon over the top by adding a sparkly thread to its interesting chainette construction. The colors are fresh and juicy, with names like Citron, Tomato, and Candy. I immediately thought of crocheted jewelry and whipped up this necklace. Monochromatic outfits are in, but who has an entire electric coral wardrobe? I paired my necklace with a matching tee instead to scale that trend down and added my signature skull cardigan. Branch out into neon slowly by incorporating it with your favorite pieces if you’re nervous.

The next level is a colorful accessory, like Greta’s Neon for Neon cowl knit in Manos del Uruguay Alegria. Since Alegria is bright and highly variegated, it’s perfect in small doses and solid colored clothing really helps it pop. Greta’s top already mirrors the great pink tones of the cowl, so a saturated aqua satchel pulls out the blues and provides contrast. Depending on the rest of your outfit, you can match or contrast small accessories like jewelry, bags, shoes or even nail polish with your neon knits. A perfect opportunity to consult your Color Grid!

Turn your knitting all the way to eleven with a neon sweater like Shiri Mor’s Helix Cabled Vest from the Vogue Knitting Winter 2012/13 issue. After all, we put so much work into our handmade garments, and highlighter yellow-green yarn is guaranteed to steal the spotlight! Let this sweater vest shine by pairing it with neutrals, but don’t be afraid to mix neutrals to add visual interest and break up your look–a black skirt and sweater veers close to suit territory. I love grey and black together for this outfit and chances are, you already have similar pieces in your closet. Matching neon triangle earrings keep the look fun and the focus up by your face.

Done right, neon can be modern, fresh and funky, not scary! For more neon-spiration, check out some of these blindingly gorgeous projects on Ravelry.

What do you think, are you ready to electrify your look with some neon knits? Will you go big or start small?

Today’s tip comes from Heidi, one of our creative and talented store staff. She tells us about the benefits of shank buttons, and how to sew them on the right way so they stay put.

If sewn on properly, shank buttons are great for babies and children, because they are more “wiggle proof.” Any button with holes can be used as a shank button.

Here’s how to make a button with holes into a shank button: 

• Start with a length of heavy duty thread about 24″ long.
• Thread through the needle and knot the free ends together.

• With the right side of garment facing you, pass the needle through to the wrong side. You want the knot on the right side next to where the button will go.
• Pass the needle through to the right side and then through the button holes.
• Pass the needle a few times through the holes and the knitted/crocheted fabric.You should leave a space between the button and the fabric so the button can still move and fit into the button hole.
• On the right side of the fabric, wrap the thread around the the space between fabric and button until the button doesn’t move easily.
• Pass through to the wrong side of the fabric, tie a knot then sew through some of the fabric, and then cut the thread.

Here’s how to sew on shank buttons: 

• Start with a length of heavy duty thread about 24″ long.
• Thread through the needle and knot the free ends together.
• With the wrong side of the garment towards you, pass the needle through to the right side.
• Thread the button onto the needle and pass the needle through to the wrong side.
• Then thread the needle between the 2 strands of the knot and tighten.
• Continue sewing button, passing through the shank of the button then pass through to the wrong side, pass through some of the fabric, and then cut and knot the thread.

 

In this post, J, one of our store associates, shares his experience with the world of apps for knitting.

I received an iPad mini for Christmas, hints were dropped and I can’t tell you how excited I was to open it up, my old laptop is now collecting dust. To the App Store I went. One of the first things I typed into the search bar was “knit” and then came the choices. We’ve all heard “There’s an app for that.”, I found myself asking, but what am I actually going to use this for. Should I download every app just because it has the word knit in the title?

Let’s get started with The Basics

WEBS
From your favorite page(s) on yarn.com you can make a bookmark. Now getting to the website is just a click away from your tablet. You start from the page of your choosing this way. Always Searching by Fiber? Perusing PDFs? Checking out the Yarn Closeouts? Keep Your Wishlist handy for when you come make the trip to the store!

YouTube
Of course, watch that tutorial over and over again, Russian join, Norwegian Purl? Please refresh my memory, purl off, knit, knit off, purl, but where do I start? In the searchbar on Youtube you can type in knitspeak (ssk, sk2p, p2togTBL, etc.) As with anything on YouTube, check a few out. You want instruction that you can actually follow, sight, sound, and all. As I mentioned, we have some great instructional videos at yarn.com. There is a real knitting instruction app that I’ll talk about later, but I mainly wanted to point out that you can type knitting abbreviations into YouTube, because it’s good to know.

Ravelry
I am amazed at the number of knitter’s who have not found this resource yet. It’s a thing, and if you love anything yarn related you should check it out, Ravelry.com. Create a bookmark so that you don’t have to type it in to your browser anymore. (Pro-tip: create the bookmark from your favorite page, ie. pattern search, your projects page, favorite forum and you’ll always start out in your favorite place) May we suggest the AllThingsWEBS group (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/all-things-webs)? Show off your FOs, chat with other fiber lovers, Queue up projects that are perfect for those beautiful skeins you just bought.

Calculator HD for iPad by CrowdCafe
Of course you should have a calculator at your fingertips. While there are many free options out there. This one in particular has one feature that the rest do not, a notepad alongside the calculator. No need to go back and forth. Whether you need to adjust a pattern, calculate how many skeins you need, the list goes on. Well worth 99 cents to have two apps in one. My favorite mode however, is the Tape mode. It doesn’t make the distinctive tape calculator sound when its “printing”, but seeing your work as you go is wonderful.

Units from Homegrown Software Ltd
Convert anything. How many ounces is 50 grams? If I have 228 meters of yarn, how many yards is that? Did you know that Cascade 220 is 1/8th of a mile and 2.2 Soccer Fields? Even shoe sizes in five different countries, which could come in very handy. FYI: a pinch is equal to 2 dashes or 1/8th tsp.

KnitHandy from Interweave 
Based on the work of Ann Budd, this is as handy as the name suggests. The app includes a quick reference for Standard Yarn Gauges and a wide range of project types with yardage estimates in a variety of sizes and gauges. I love the color of this fingering weight yarn, is there enough to make a hat? My WiFi is not connecting and I just want to know if I need one more skein. Yardage estimates are always just that, estimates. There may not be enough for that pattern you fall in love with, but there are more patterns in the sea, your sure to find something out there.

Counter Man from Riccardo Sabattoli
Count Rows and repeats at the same time. With the free version, you can have 5 counters going. Counters can be named and the items to count can be named as well, you can associate any color for each counter. This is one of those instances where I really only need the free version so far, but I appreciate how well it’s done so I’m willing to give this guy 99 cents. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll have six projects going at once.

KnitEvenly from JKnit
Have you ever needed to increase by just a few stitches, but wanted to make sure you spread the increases out rather than adding 1 in the middle and 2 on the ends or whatever sort of fudging you were thinking of to get you the number of stitches you need. Knit evenly, shows you two ways of doing it and even has a follow along guide to walk you through so you can keep track. It’s pretty amazing.

PDFs

Now that you’ve gotten started, maybe you have some PDFs and a little stand so that you can set the instructions in front of you while you work on your latest project. That’s pretty cool. The piles of paper aren’t piling up around you and ruining your recent re-organization. Nice work by the way, we love what you’ve done with your stash.

There is that free iBooks “library” and you can make collections to get things sorted the way you like. I like to have a little more control over the pattern. I miss being able to highlight, make notes, somehow pin the page down so that I’m only looking at the row I’m currently working on. I also, admit I miss the little creases in pages from folding them up and stuffing them in my knitting bag.

GoodNotes by Time Base Technology Limited
I stumbled upon this while trying to find something to manage my pattern PDFs. Originally, I was just hoping for a bit more organization than the standard PDF reader. Little did I know that this app would have so many features that are perfect for knitting pattern reading.

Highlighter function – I’m a lace knitter, mostly, the ability to highlight repeats and specific parts of a chart is fantastic.
Palm Rest – They call it a palm rest, I call it a chart follower. The palm rest is a handy tool with a little pull tab at the bottom of the screen. After sizing the pattern so you can read it, you can move the palm rest to follow your work row by row.
Notes – Add notes anywhere on the PDF.
Two ways of organizing PDFs, separate notebooks or separate folders.
I have separate folders for Lace, Hats and Scarves, Socks, and Sweaters. You can rename PDFs and Notebooks once they are in a Goodnotes folder and move them to any folder you choose. As for separate notebooks, I recently completed Gail(aka Nightsongs) a wonderful free pattern on Ravelry. I downloaded the pattern, I had the perfect yarn, and then I got to row 38. I had to go back to the pattern page in order to find the rest of the story. Note to self, really look at project pages and additional notes when you find a pattern. It turns out that just about everyone ran into the same problem. Ravellers, being the great community they are, had taken charge and created additional charts to help the rest of us get through those pattern repeats so that the shawl would come out as spectacular as I had envisioned. Instead of keeping all of the PDFs separate, I have them in their own notebook. The beauty is that next time I work with this pattern, my highlights and notes will be there and all of the PDF charts are together.

KnittingHelp Video Reference from Outer Limits Media
It’s becoming more common for knitter’s to be self-taught. While there is nothing quite like having a teacher to ask questions or help you better see what’s happening with your stitches, knittinghelp.com has done a great job of creating instructional videos and tutorials for just about everything knitting related. The app is basically an extension of her website. I know I mentioned YouTube previously, but with free there is always a cost or so said my grandfather. With YouTube you have to find an instructional video that is done well. You want to see the stitches, have it slow enough so that you can follow along, understand what the instructor is saying. Amy Sheldon of KnittingHelp.com does that well, the videos are clear, and there are instructions for just about everything you encounter while knitting, even tips and tricks for going back a few rows and fixing mistakes. While this is an iPhone App, important to note if you search for it in the App Store, you can double the size to make it easier to use on your iPad. The $4.99 for this app is well worth it.

Do you have a favorite app for knitting or crochet?

This week, Sara Delaney shows us a clever and simple way to create beautiful plaid fabric with your knitting!

 

Knitting plaid fabrics can seem like a daunting task when you consider that they could involve not only two or more colors but intarsia work as well. And how do you keep the tension even in an intarsia section that is only one stitch wide?

Why not skip the intarsia all together with some cleverly placed purl ravines and the use of a crochet hook!

Work the horizontal stripes of your plaid normally and wherever you’d like to have the vertical stripes just work a purl stitch in that vertical column of stitches.

Once you’ve finished knitting the piece you can go back with your crochet hook, and slip stitch a line of stitches into the vertical purl ravine. The slip stitches will lie even with the surface of your knitting.

With this technique, it’s easy to create multi-colored plaid by changing the colors of your vertical stripes. You can stick to two colors, or get creative with as many as the color wheel can hold.

Easy to make plaid sweaters, cowls and hats…it’s addictive!